Top Ten Things (Off the Top of my Head) that I Learned from my Pastor, Mentor, and Friend, Mike Wilkins (1954-2018)

It has been three years since my former pastor, mentor, and friend went home to be with the Lord. I had the privilege to know him and learn from him for nearly twenty years. Here are some nuggets of wisdom (as they come to mind) from Mike:

1) It is worth the time to re-read good books… For example, among the books Mike read and re-read countless times was Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. He testified how he saw new things each time, and he was reminded of good, old things that he had forgotten since the last reading. I have made it a habit to keep reading LOTR at least every two years. I also look for, read, and reread great books as often as I can.

​(BONUS: He also taught me to appreciate Tom Bombadil...)

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2) Have a regular place set up every morning where you can easily access your Bible, journal, and other resources for daily times of devotion with God. This practical nugget of wisdom has been a tremendous help to me in maintaining faithful and disciplined reading and praying each day. In his book, Four Forty-Four, he says we need “a time, a place, and a plan.” For my “plan,” I not only have a routine of reading certain resources and having intentional times of prayer, but I also use a Bible reading plan. I’m currently using a modified version of the reading plan devised by Robert Murray M'Cheyne (also a Mike recommendation).


​3) Go camping and canoe-tripping with your kids one-on-one. This has also been golden advice in getting to know and love my kids better as individuals. Some of the best times and best memories I have with children are times we spent together tenting and canoeing in the wilderness.

4) Read fewer (but good) books by choosing to read fewer (but good) authors. Since there are so many good books and good authors in the world, Mike’s advice is to settle on a few (preferably dead) authors. We can then immerse ourselves in the writings of these well-chosen authors. Over the years, Mike had varying groups of seven to ten “dead men” spanning centuries of church history. Although the list changed over the years, here are a few I recall: Calvin (16th-century), Owen (17th-century), Edwards & Whitefield (Dallimore) (18th-century), Spurgeon (19th-century), and Lewis, Chesterton, & Lloyd-Jones (20th-century). There were some writers swapped in and out, but I think these fellows were the core. He also advised me (specifically) to own fewer books and to borrow more from the library... (I confess that I have failed in this little area…).

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5) Honour your hard-working, work-at-home spouse in practical ways: One way Mike suggested hubbies do this is to give to your wife any extra funds that come into the household. For Mike, this included book royalties, honoraria, and stipends over and above the regular salary. Likewise, my wife has been dutifully serving in our home, caring for the family, and homeschooling the kids. Anytime I receive additional money for speaking engagements or royalties from book sales, the money goes into my wife’s discretionary fund!

6) Make a point to read books by non-Christian authors, especially those writers that do a great job at consistently describing their non-Christian worldviews. We need to understand the world God is calling us to reach with his gospel. Christians can easily fall into the trap of arguing and evangelizing a “strawman” caricature of the lost. The Bible gives us the bedrock insight into the hearts and minds of the lost, but well-chosen books provide the nuanced cultural struggles and impediments of specific times and places. We need to know and understand others in order to love them and share the gospel with them. For example, one of Mike’s top ten books was actually Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

7) Write books. Mike wrote a range of books, from children’s literature to spiritually edifying books. He also inspired me and encouraged me as I put pen to paper. I have two books in print, dozens of essays published, and another couple of books in the works. Here's what he had to say about my first book, All Things New: Essays on Christianity, culture & the arts: “Jeremy has brought together a diverse collection of his own Christian reflections on ‘Culture and the Arts.’ His many years of teaching English literature and the Classics and his own genuine appreciation and discernment of—and his wisdom concerning—works as diverse as The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Harry Potter books, have set him up as an experienced and knowledgeable guide to Christians, and others interested in Christian thinking.” He read and endorsed the manuscript, but he passed away shortly before the book came to print...

8) When preaching, teaching, or writing, remember that we are often doing so “on borrowed time.” This advice has been gold as I have been teaching, preaching, and writing for the last two decades. In an email he once sent me offering advice about a sermon I botched (e.g., it took me a quarter of an hour to get to the point of my message…) Mike told me to be “careful to explain what it is we are about to explain, with a view to persuading our audience that they really need to understand this.”

9) Related to number 8… If you love someone, then you will give them honest feedback. Mike did this for me in droves… I am a better teacher, preacher, and writer because of his honest and critical feedback. He said we need to offer each other the “right, delicate, but firm words” if we are going to spur each other on. I thank God for the time, thought, and energy he took offering me “the strong beer of [his] delicate criticisms…”

10) In important areas of life, always strive for excellence. In another letter, Mike reminded me that “competence looks like excellence in the midst of mediocrity.” So, I press on.

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24).